The vomeronasal organ of wild canids: the fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a model
The vomeronasal system (VNS) has been extensively studied within specific animalfamilies, such as Rodentia. However, the study of the VNS in other families, such asCanidae, has long been neglected. Among canids, the vomeronasal organ (VNO) hasonly been studied in detail in the dog, and no studies ha...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2020 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC) |
| Repositorio: | Minerva. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:minerva.usc.gal:10347/37911 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10347/37911 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Fox G proteins Immunohistochemistry Lectins Pheromones Ulex europaeus agglutinin Vomeronasal |
| Sumario: | The vomeronasal system (VNS) has been extensively studied within specific animalfamilies, such as Rodentia. However, the study of the VNS in other families, such asCanidae, has long been neglected. Among canids, the vomeronasal organ (VNO) hasonly been studied in detail in the dog, and no studies have examined the morpho-functional or immunohistochemical characteristics of the VNS in wild canids, whichis surprising, given the well-known importance of chemical senses for the dog and foxand the likelihood that the VNS plays roles in the socio-reproductive physiology andbehaviours of these species. In addition, characterising the fox VNS could contributeto a better understanding of the domestication process that occurred in the dog, asthe fox would represent the first wild canid to be studied in depth. Therefore, theaim of this study was to analyze the morphological and immunohistochemical char-acteristics of the fox VNO. Tissue dissection and microdissection techniques wereemployed, followed by general and specific histological staining techniques, includingwith immunohistochemical and lectin-histochemical labelling strategies, using anti-bodies against olfactory marker protein (OMP), growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR), α-tubulin, Gαo, and Gαi2 proteins, to highlightthe specific features of the VNO in the fox. This study found significant differencesin the VNS between the fox and the dog, particularly concerning the expression ofGαi2 and Gαo proteins, which were associated with the expression of the type 1vomeronasal receptors (V1R) and type 2 vomeronasal receptors (V2R), respectively,in the vomeronasal epithelium. Both are immunopositive in foxes, as opposed to thedog, which only expresses Gαi2. This finding suggests that the fox possesses a well-developed VNO and supports the hypothesis that a profound transformation in theVNS is associated with domestication in the canid family. Furthermore, the uniquefeatures identified in the fox VNO confirm the necessity of studying the VNS systemin different species to better comprehend specific phylogenetic aspects of the VNS. |
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